Testing apparatus for hollow castings.



G. G. TALLMAN.

TESTING APPARATUS FOR HOLLOW GASTINGS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 27, 1911.

Patented Feb. 20, 1912.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE C. TALLMAN, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

TESTING APPARATUS FOR HOLLOW CASTINGS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE C. TALLMAN, of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Testing Apparatus for Hollow Castings, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to certain improvements in testing apparatus for hollow castings, such as radiator sections, boiler sections, and similar articles having alined openings in the opposite sides thereof.

Hollow castings of this character are usually made as thin as possible within the limits of safety for lightness and economy in manufacture and as in all castings, there is more or less liability of the existence of blow holes, fine cracks and other imperfections which are invisible to the naked eye but which are made perceptible by the usual method of testing by subjecting the hollow article to liquid pressure from the inside to render such imperfections perceptible so that the casting may be repaired or broken up and returned to the junk.

The hollow castings, as for example, in radiator and boiler sections are preferably tested separately, and one of the primary objects of my present invention is to render this operation more expeditious and less laborious than has heretofore been practiced and thereby greatly increase the output for a given period of time. In other words I have sought to provide in a simple clamping device means for admitting the water under pressure to the interior of the article under test with additional means for forcing the clamping heads into contact with the opposite sides of the article by a single movement of the hand and to permit reasonable adjustment of the clamping heads relatively to each other to receive castings of different thicknesses.

Other objects and uses will be brought out in the following description.

In the drawings-Figure 1 is a sectional view, partly in elevation, of a testing apparatus embodying the various features of my invention, showing also a portion of a radiator section under test. Fig. 2 is a sectional view through the cam taken on line 22, Fig. 1, showing a portion of the draw rod in elevation.

This testing apparatus comprises a pair Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 27, 1911.

Patented Feb. 20, 1912.

Serial No. 640,799.

of opposed coaxial clamping heads 1- and 2 of cast metal or other suitable material having their adjacent sides provided with recesses 3 and 4- for receiving and retaining suitable packing rings 5 and 6 of rubber or equivalent material of sufficient size or area to effectively cover the alined openings as aof the article as a radiator section A-- under test, the packings 5- and 6 serving to prevent leakage through the openings a during such test.

One of the sections as the section 1- is provided with an inlet passage 7- and a central inwardly projecting hub S- having' a central passage 9- communicating with the inlet passage -7 and one or more branch passages 10- leading from the passage 9 to the interior of the hollow casting -A when the clamping heads are in operative position for closing the openings a.

The inner end of the hub 8 is provided with a threaded socketl1 for receiving the inner threaded end of a draw rod 12. This draw rod -12 extends outwardly through alined openings in the clamping head 2- and its packing ring --6 and is provided at its outer end with a hook-shaped bearing 13 for interlocking engagement with suitable pins or hooks 14 of a cam or eccentric -15.

As a further protection against leakage during the testing operation, I provide an additional packing member 16- of rub ber or equivalent material which is seated in a recess -17 in the outer face of the clamping head 2.

The recess 17 and packing member 16-- are preferably tapered inwardly so that when pressure is brought to bear upon the packing member in a manner hereinafter described, the tapering sides of the recess -17 will force the packing inwardly against the sides of the draw rod 12 and thereby prevent any possibility of leak age at this oint.

The packing member 16 extends beyond the outer face of the clamping head 2 and forms a seat for a met-a1 bearing plate 18 which is engaged by the eccentric or cam face of the cam 15.

The cam -15- is adapted to be operated length according to the leverage required to firmly press the clamping heads against opposite faces of the casting.

The clamping head 2 and its packing 6 are slidable or adjustable on the draw rod -12 and thereby permits the clamping heads to be drawn together relatively to each other against opposite sides of the hollow section -A undertest by simply rocking the handle of the cam 15- downwardly in which position the cam will be retained while the operator inspects the casting for leakages.

As previously intimated, the draw rod lconstitutes an adjustable extension of the hub -8 for permitting the adjustment of the clamping heads relatively to each other to conform to different thicknesses of castings which it may be desired to test, and in order to prevent the testing liquid frompassing around the inner end of the hub 8 to the draw rod -6-, I preferably insert one or more auxiliary packing rings 21 between the inner face of the packing 6- and adjacent end of the hub 8-.

Communication between the passage 9 and socket -1lis cut oif by means of a partition 22, thereby further preventing the passage of the liquid to the joint between the draw bolt 12 and clamping head 2.

The inlet 7 may be connected by a pipe -23- to any source of liquid or water supply under pressure, the flow of the liquid to the testing apparatus being controlled by a suitable valve 24 and after the test is made, the testing liquid may be drawn oif by opening an outlet valve -25- which is normally closed during the testing operation.

After the test is made, the cam 15 may be detached from the draw rod -2 by simply tilting the handle upwardly sufficiently to allow the pins or studs 14 to be withdrawn through the open side of the hook 13-, whereupon the clamping head -2- with its packing 6- and other parts carried thereby may be withdrawn from the outer end of the draw rod 12 or the said draw rod may be unscrewed from the hub 8- and withdrawn together with the clamping head 2 and parts carried thereby, whereupon the radiator section may be removed from the hub -8- and clamping head 1 and another hollow section placed thereon and reclamped in position for repeating the operation previously described.

In placing the section -A in operative osition for testing, its apertured portion is allowed to rest against the packing section 5- of the head -1- with the hub --8 projecting through at least one of the apertures V-a, whereupon theother clamping head 2 with its packing section 6 is placed against the opposite face of the section a and the draw rod 12 is then screwed down into the hub 8 until the plate 18- is in proper position to receive the caln --15- when the latter is engaged with the hook-shaped extremity l3- with the handle rocked upwardly to bring the low point of the cam near the center of the draw rod.

If any further adjustment is required to bring the cam in proper position for final tightening, the entire draw rod together with the cam may be rotated sufficiently to produce this result. In other words I have provided not only for the axial adjustment of the draw rod independently of the clamping heads but have also provided the additional and more important final tightening adjustment by means of the cam which renders the operation of tightening the clamping heads upon the article to be tested more expeditious and less laborious than has heretofore been practiced.

What I claim is:

1. A testing apparatus for hollow castings having alined openings in opposite sides, said testing apparatus comprising op posite clamping heads, connections between said heads having portions thereof adapted to pass through the openings and including means for forcing the heads toward each other, one of the heads and adjacent portion of the connections having fluid passages therein leading from the exterior of such head to a point in the exterior of the connections between said head for admitting a testing fluid to the interior of the casting.

2. A testing device for hollow castings comprising opposed clamping heads, adjustable connections between the central portions of the heads including means for forcing the heads toward each other, one of the heads and adjacent portion of the connections having fluid passages therein leading from the exterior of such head to a point in the exterior of the connections between the heads for admitting the testing fluid to the interior of the casting.

3. A testing device for hollow castings comprising opposed clamping heads having packings on their inner faces, one head having an opening therethrough, connections between the central portions of the heads and extending through such opening, said connections including a bearing member across the outer end of said opening, and means engaged with said bearing for drawing the heads toward each other, the opposite head and adjacent portion of the connections having fluid passages leading from the exterior of such head to a point in the exterior of the adjacent portion of said connections between the heads.

4:. A testing device for hollow castings comprising opposed clamping heads having packings on their inner faces, one of said heads being provided with an inlet for the testing fluid and also provided with a central hub having outlet passages communieating with the inlet, said hub having an extension projecting through and beyond the opposite head, a bearing on said opposite head, and a cam pivoted to the outer end of the extension and engaged with said hearing, and means for rocking the cam.

5. In a testing device for hollow castings, a clamping head having an inlet for the testing of the fluid and provided with an inwardly projecting hub having an outlet communicating with the inlet for permitting the discharge of the testing fluid into an article under test, an additional clamping head opposed to the first named clamping head and provided with an opening therethrough, an extension on the hub projecting through said opening and beyond the outer face of the additional head, a bearing on said additional head, and a cam lever connected to the outer end of said extension and having its cam face engaged with said bearing.

6. In a testing device for hollow castings, a clamping head having an inlet for the testing of the fluid and provided with an inwardly projecting hub having an outlet communicating with the inlet for permitting the discharge of the testing fluid into an article under test, an additional clamping head opposed to the first named clamping head and provided with an opening therethrough, an extension on the hub projecting through said opening and beyond the outer face of the additional head, a bearing on said additional head, a cam lever connected to the outer end of said extension and having its cam face engaged with said bearing, said clamping members having their inner sides provided with recesses, and packing members seated in said recesses.

7. A testing device for hollow castings comprising opposed clamping heads having recesses in their inner sides and packings seated in said recesses, one of said heads having an inlet for the testing fluid, and a central hub provided with an outlet communicating with the inlet for permitting the passage of the testing fluid to the interior of an article under test, said hub being provided with an axially adjustable extension projecting through an opening in the opposite head, a bearing plate on said opposite head, and a cam lever pivoted to the outer end of said extension and having its cam face engaged with said hearing.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand on this 22nd day of July 1911.

GEORGE C. TALLMAN.

Witnesses:

H. E. CHASE, E. F. SPEAKING.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

